Mim's Memory Baskets — Sort Things into Groups

Kindergarten·L.K.5.A

Mim is a sleepy, forgetful little cloud-friend whose basket of treasures tipped over! Help Mim remember what things ARE by putting each one in the basket where it belongs — animals with animals, foods with foods. Every time you do, Mim remembers a little more. A warm Kindergarten sorting game aligned to Common Core L.K.5.A.

About this activity

Mim, a sleepy little cloud-friend, has spilled a basket of treasures, and children help sort each picture back where it belongs — a dog with the animals, an apple with the foods, a car with the vehicles, and later hats with clothing and a star with the shapes. Every correct sort helps Mim remember a little more, in a free, interactive Kindergarten vocabulary activity that runs right in the browser with nothing to install and no account.

The big idea is to sort by what a thing IS, not by how it looks. The trickier rounds put a red apple, a red fire truck, and a banana together, so a child cannot sort by color and has to think about category — food, vehicle, food. Other rounds spread out a category (a dog, a fish, and a duck are all animals even though they look very different), which stretches the idea of what a group can include.

It is aligned to Common Core L.K.5.A — sorting common objects into categories to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent. No timer, no score — just calm, playful practice.

What's inside this activity

  • Designed for Grade K learners (ages about 5–6)
  • Common Core strand: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
  • Aligned to Common Core standard L.K.5.A

How to play

Look at the spilled items and the labeled baskets, such as animal, food, and vehicle.

Put each picture in the basket where it belongs, and watch Mim remember a little more.

Not quite? Try again as many times as you like — there is no timer and no score.

What your child practices

  • Sort everyday pictures into categories like animals, food, vehicles, and clothing
  • Group by what a thing is rather than by a surface feature like color or shape
  • Recognize that one category can hold things that look quite different
  • Build the vocabulary that names groups of objects

Learning goals

Sort common objects into categories — the focus of Common Core L.K.5.A

Understand the concept that names each category, like animals or food

Grow the early vocabulary that groups and labels everyday things

Frequently asked questions

What does the Mim's Memory Baskets — Sort Things into Groups activity teach?
Mim's Memory Baskets — Sort Things into Groups is a free interactive activity for Kindergarten, focused on Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. Children play it right in the browser — no printing, login, or setup required.
Is Mim's Memory Baskets — Sort Things into Groups free to use?
Yes. Mim's Memory Baskets — Sort Things into Groups is completely free, with no signup and no paywall, on any tablet, laptop, or classroom whiteboard.
Which ages is this activity for?
It is designed for Kindergarten (Vocabulary Acquisition and Use) and works well for whole-class, small-group, or independent practice.

Practice this standard

See all L.K.5.A activities

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